Columbia Climate School’s Undergraduate Program Office Recently, we held the 3rd Alumni Career Conversation Panel, featuring three graduates from the Sustainable Development Programme (SDEV). The event provided opportunities for current Colombian students to learn about the various sectors and future career paths open to students interested in pursuing a climate- and sustainability-related career. Kayran Abasali (CC’13), Annie Evangelakos (Block) (CC’19), and Anthony Perez (CC’21) shared diverse experiences during and during the programme, including work spanning both the public and private sectors.
The panel was moderated Jason SmurdonProfessor of Climate, Co-Director of MS at the School of Climate in Climate and former co-director of Colombia’s Faculty of Sustainable Development Programme.
In Columbia, Abasari was part of Class 6, aligned with her goals to graduate from a special concentration of sustainable development and to earn a degree with social impact. Abasari began his career in high-tech sales at IBM and has since worked in ESG consulting in the technology industry. She is currently completing her MBA and recently launched her own social impact venture, focusing on helping Caribbean women access their STEM careers.
Evangelakos is the project manager for sustainable buildings at Jones Langlasar and is committed to mitigating emissions through energy-efficient building design. Through her certification in Energy and Environmental Design on Brooklyn’s Green Infrastructure and undergraduate dissertation leadership, she is currently interested in the sustainable infrastructure she brings to projects with architects and building developers.
As the latest graduate of the Sustainable Development Program, Anthony Perez currently works as a senior analyst for the Resilience Task Force for the New York City Mayor’s Office of Budget and Control. Perez worked to establish a financial pathway for communities along the Hudson River in upstate New York City for advanced capstones. This is a project that shaped the trajectory of post-graduation. Through this experience, Perez not only became familiar with public grant programs and budgetary allocations, but also learned how to apply these programs to understand sustainability and climate resilience.
The three panelists have gone different paths after graduation, but there were similar reasons to hoping to pursue a career in sustainable development. “I never wanted to be a lab for the rest of my life. Instead, I did. [I wanted to] We are still working directly with people, focusing on science,” Evangelakos said.
For speakers, the SDEV programme provided opportunities to engage in science, while also learning how to apply it to policy, business, and ESG careers. Audience students explored this intersection and asked panelists how the SDEV programme shaped the current professional role.
Perez explained that understanding of the social and policy aspects of climate as a student is important in his work with the New York City government. “In my job, everyone has a climate background, but the social aspects help me thrive,” he said.
Through a balance of physical science, policy and social impact, the SDEV program sets graduates up to work in a variety of fields. These ideas apply in both the public and private sectors.
Abasari’s professional career spanned multiple sectors and scopes in technology, consulting and social impact. But everything she has worked on “a circle back to sustainability,” she said.
The Sustainable Development Programme provides a rich background for graduates to tackle climate and sustainability challenges, open up a variety of career paths and provide opportunities for graduates to engage in meaningful work within climate and sustainability in a variety of fields.
As Climate School’s undergraduate program offering expands to include sustainable development minors and climate and sustainability majors, it is encouraged to explore climate and sustainability from all perspectives. As illustrated by the Alumni Panel, the impact of these programs is felt throughout this work, from ESG to government planning.
For all three panelists, the interdisciplinary aspects of the program have guided them throughout their careers and remained a key component of their success today. “Education plays a major role. Ten years later, I remember learning from the program I’m currently revisiting at my MBA,” Abasari said.
